New Kitchens / Remodels

[Too Tall]

By g-d this is VSalon and we can't have anything less than excessive overdoing it yah? Kidding.

This might be a thread to show your amazing kitchen or before / after OR to talk about a project so here we go.

After 22 yrs. living with a barely functional kitchen from which I've served the masses and endured...oh why bother? My kitchen is just awful.

We are beginning to trot contractors thru the house and talk about "what it". All I know so far is that I'll finally get a gas oven, adequate counter space to work/prep. the rest is up in the air. I'll post some diagrams of the space in time as well as some ideas.

Would love to hear about stoves, built in appliances etc. that rock your world. I'm keen to have some sort of a fast top broiler or even a small salamander installed since i do alot of top browning last min. Big / Deep kitchen sinks YES!!! Talk to me about amazing kitchen sinks.

Here we go...

[Matthew Strongin]

Oh man, that's a big project. We redid the kitchen in our last house, superficial only, and it was a pain. But the end product was great and so much nicer than the hideous finishes that came before. Helped us sell the house quickly, too.

In this house we ended up with a crazy oven/stove. We're not all that into cooking, but I swear everything we make is better and easier. We had natural gas at the last house and a propane tank here. It's pricier, but still worth it. Here's the first stove that's ever rocked my world.

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Ours has a matching hood. I'm not looking forward to replacing it should it ever break beyond repair.

[rwsaunders]

The Kitchen Work Triangle is where it all begins and if you are having a designer to help layout your kitchen, they will be familiar with the process. Good exhaust and good lighting, not necessarily in that order, are two other key pieces of information and plenty of prep space to dice, slice, chop, rinse and roll, especially since you are a cookaholic.

I am also a fan of stainless steel appliance surfaces and stainless sinks...deep double sinks and faucets which allow large pots and pans to be filled in the sink. A quiet and efficient dishwasher, double oven (one convection) and a 5-6 burner gas cooktop are always busy at our house. Refrigerators...all a matter of preference. Some like the side by side and others like the over or under freezer. We didn't select an in-door water/ice dispenser but some folks love them.

Don't forget power outlets for blenders, food processors, coffee grinders/makers, iPads, etc. Wire your kitchen for sound and speakers too as we entertain a lot at the island. Material selections for tops and backsplashes can be overwhelming. We used granite for the tops and tumbled limestone for the backsplash, but with the many surface material choices available today, I might have passed on the granite at what, $50/SF? Porcelain tile completed our floor but I might have chosen wood looking back on it. Easier on the feet but I was worried that it would clash with the maple cabinets.

Cabinets are tough to beat from a manufacturer like Kraft Maid, etc. Beyond a specialty kitchen shop, places like The Home Depot carry some decent brands and the soft touch drawers are a must anymore. Wood finishes or laminate...what does the Queen like and what will the next buyer like? Things to think about.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitchen_work_triangle

[Too Tall]

Queen likes off white or grey stained wood cabinets and a mix of glass doors with solid. Dark Granite...not so much, we are leaning twords something manmade.
GREAT idea to have power outlets for charging etc.
We just got back from a tour of a neighbors house that one of the contractors we are reviewing did and it is fabulous.
Matt, do you use that grill? Our situation calls for a 6 burner stove/oven combo. I had hoped to use a lightly used Wolf cooktop/grill that a pal gave me...we shall see if it passes muster. Maybe throwing good money at old tech. The cooptop is 15 years old but when it was removed it was brand new.
LIGHTING YES! lots of it, I'm a freak for good light.

[rwsaunders]

TT...I'm a fan of Sarah Susanka and you might find inspiration in some of her ideas relating to your kitchen and its relationship to the balance of your living space.

Sarah Susanka

[nahtnoj]

You're a 90 minute drive from having some Amish or Mennonite guys build you an amazing set of custom cabinets...

[ericpmoss]

Are you thinking of pastry or hand-kneaded bread? A nice marble slab (maybe even a chilled one if you're into ice cream) is really nice for French kneading.

BTW, the more 220V appliances you can get, the more efficient and lightweight your kitchen will be. I'm thinking blenders, espresso machines and grinders, fridges, induction/electric water boilers, etc. For example, Cadco 220V convection ovens go from cold to finished scones in 13 minutes flat, and are cool again 5 minutes after that. It's a godsend for summertime baking, and they make the best brioche and cheesecake and biscotti I have ever had. They even provide computer-controlled steam. Awesome.

[UnfilteredDregs]

If you're really into cooking....Soapstone countertops. No fancy sealers, you don't ever have to worry about temperatures, scratches buff out, etc... I regularly set 500 degree iron on my countertop:

[Matthew Strongin]

We don't really use the burner, Josh. We don't do much grilling and when we do we have a big grill outside.

I second UnfilteredDregs recommendation on soapstone. We'll eventually replace the counters in our kitchen and that's the way we'll go.

[Too Tall]

Re the 220 appliances. Wow, that is a revelation for me, no idea they existed.
Thanks for the reassurance with soapstone, i had assumed it was not durable enough for counters. My experience with it is in old french kitchens where it looks its age.
Fwiiw i have a large rock maple dinner table top i have been saving for the new kitchen. It will make a terrific prep surface.

[AJPM44]

We bought our houses year ago, and just got around to renovating the kitchen, floors, and fake wood paneling throughout the house.
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This is mid removal of cabinets and prep for demo.

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Now I need to learn how to make cabinets.

[BShow]

I can tell you that I hate, hate, hate my kitchen. It's basically a dark corridor with barely enough space for one person to work, let alone two. Entertaining is a mess and no matter how hard I try, inevitably people will cram in there. If I were redesigning, One of the things I would do (beside blowout a wall) is place my island outside of the work triangle. That way, people can hang out and I have space to do odds and ends.

I really like the less obvious idea of wiring for sound, even if its just a couple inconspicuous speakers for background noise when we're partying. A well placed skylight or three could add some natural light without taking away wall space but they could take away space for light fixtures.

nahtnoj provides a good thought... those amish and mennonite dudes can work some wood. If you find the right ones; they'll be cheaper than a comparable mainstream brand.

[Matthew Strongin]

If I were redesigning, One of the things I would do (beside blowout a wall) is place my island outside of the work triangle. That way, people can hang out and I have space to do odds and ends.

Our island is far outside the triangle. For everyday usage it feels out of place and just collects clutter rather than being useful for food prep or cooking. But, when we have people over it is perfect. A great place to set up food and drinks and people always gather around it and aren't in the way of using the kitchen at all. So, if entertaining is your priority, I wholeheartedly agree.

[roseyscot]

We gutted our 1960's kitchen and expanded it into our 2 car garage to have an open kitchen and family room space.

1. If you are changing your layout considerably, you should engage a real architect/designer, not just a GC who has done a lot of kitchens. We drove the design and came up with the ideas of where to put a pantry, how far to push into the garage space, etc, but an architect/designer would have known that the cabinet doors were going to bang into each other in certain spots and that we should have gone 1-2 feet further into the family room for more countertop space.
2. Go with a wide sink, but not a deep one. You're already too tall, and bending down into an eleven inch deep sink will make you nuts. We went with 8 inches deep and it is much better than my parent's who went 11. And I'm only 6'1"
3. Get a cabinet panel on the dishwasher. We grabbed the Bosch 800 series and I LOVE THAT THING. It has a third rack for your awkward serving and cooking utensils that we even put our chef knives on. Such a good feature for that appliance. Don't be turned off by the longer than average run time. It hasn't been a problem.
4. We did honed jet mist for the outer and marble for the island. Pretty happy with both, though the marble still makes me nervous since citrus-y items will leave permanent etching
5. If you are tearing it to the studs, put in speakers, wire for the future as much as possible, even if you don't plan on it now.
6. Consult with some geeks about the best electronic stuff for your kitchen. Don't expect the electrician or GC to know that stuff
7. Since the garage didn't have heat, we opted for a wall mounted ductless mini split. This allowed us to ditch the old radiator in the kitchen too. It's been great for heating and cooling but I wish our HVAC guy knew more about the geek features. Ours is not wifi compatible, but you can get some that are which is nice for configuring when you are on the way home.
8. We also have a half bath that shares a wall with the kitchen. Since they were tearing off the plaster and exposing the plumbing, I had them rough in a wet bar area. We will eventually add a small sink and bar area
9. Don't be fooled into a counter depth fridge. They are so much smaller and not worth it.
10. Dark floors definitely show a lot more dust. The floors in the rest of our house are lighter and I wish we did lighter in the kitchen too. I was afraid of trying to match and having it look like we tried and failed.

Here's the main kitchen space. It used to end where the header is to the right of the fridge. The picture is taken from the old garage which is now a family/tv area


this is the pantry with shelves that my father and I built behind the stove wall. We were originally going to put some swinging doors to hide it, but we've come to appreciate the convenience and we organize it well enough that it's not an eye sore as you walk through to the dining room:

[Matthew Strongin]

Nicely done, rosey!

[roseyscot]

Nicely done, rosey!

Thanks. I'll also add, if you plan on having seating at the island, you should do a 12+ inch overhang. We ended up with 14 inches and it is much more comfortable than other island/bar seating which is normally in the 10-12 inch range.

[dashDustin]

our kitchen triangle is very obtuse.

I strongly dislike our kitchen. It's going to be the first thing we tackle in the house. Lighting is bad, fixtures are bad, sink is shallow, fridge is placed right next to the door, so neither can be opened beyond 90*. Problem is all the appliances are fairly new, so we have no reason to trash them yet. But damn am I ready to. And they're white. The dining area is right next to the kitchen, which is right next to the living room. It's all one big space, which I prefer. As it is, I'd like to make the kitchen area are little bigger, and reduce the size of the dining area. We have a formal dining room, but it's the bike room. Which gets more use than a formal dining room ever would.

Anyway, hot topic is counter material.

[sine]

Looking at a possible kitchen reno next year so went shopping to establish some sort of budget.

So, we checked out appliances at a store yesterday…...within walking distance of TT house. Bluestar looks like it's the current best in class gas range……this from a longtime Wolf owner. I got hooked on this massive built in fridge……..who knew a 48" Liebherr was a bargain in comparison.

Still like natures best granite and soapstone is really nice too. Have a client with soapstone counter top that has the "leather" finish.

Don't dismiss Ikea for cabinets….if they have a style you like.

Have fun.

[BShow]

Don't dismiss Ikea for cabinets….if they have a style you like.

a friend of mine did recently get a kitchen's worth of cabinets from Ikea. it did turn out pretty nice looking but I have no idea about quality, durability or price. If quality and durability are like the few ikea shelves that I've bough, I'll pass.

[roseyscot]

a friend of mine did recently get a kitchen's worth of cabinets from Ikea. it did turn out pretty nice looking but I have no idea about quality, durability or price. If quality and durability are like the few ikea shelves that I've bough, I'll pass.

And the Ikea kitchens aren't even that cheap compared to many of the KraftMaid options. Unless your kitchen looks exactly like the display at the Ikea warehouse, it's not worth it.